The present invention relates generally to the field of crop pick-up teeth. Specifically, it relates to pick-up tooth assemblies for raking pick-ups.
Many designs exist for teeth used on pick-up reels, combine reels, and the like. Teeth or tines on combine reels, pick-up reels, and the like are used to assist in harvesting crops. Such teeth have many configurations. They are attached to combine or pick-up reels through a variety of mounting structures.
Presently, many pick-up teeth or tines are made of steel, with coils at the attachment point to a mounting bar. These coils require steel teeth to be spaced apart at intervals no closer together than 3 inches along the mounting bar. While this spacing may be effective for certain crop pick-up applications, a closer spacing is desirable for a number of other crop pick-up applications.
For an example of prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,511 (Yannashev et al.) discloses a tine with a cross-sectional configuration in the form of a triangle. Also, the cross section of the tine is wide and tapering along the axis of rotation of the reel, and thick but tapering in the direction of rotation of the harvester reel. The tine is mounted on a bat blade by means of a bolt or a hook and recess mounting. The tine has a slot longitudinally disposed. The slot is concave in the opposite direction of the rotation of the harvester reel. No multiple mounting of tines is done. Tines are mounted individually.
Another prior art tine is the stripper tooth used on crop pick-ups manufactured by the assignee to the fights of the present invention. These stripper teeth are strengthened in the direction of rotation of a crop pick-up, but do not move. They function only to separate the crop from the pick-up teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,889 (Gustafson) discloses a mounting structure attachable to a bar with a bolt. The mounting structure has a semi-circular shape with a semi-circular liner. This mounting structure is preferably robber in order to absorb the shock of deflections of a tine around obstacles. The tine used in Gustafson is uniform in thickness throughout the direction of rotation. No disclosure or suggestion is made in Gustafson of multiply mounting a plurality of tines together on a mounting structure. No disclosure or suggestion is made of integrally forming the tines with the mounting structure. The tines are mounted to the structure using standard means. In Gustafson, the tines and mounting structure are completely separate.
Other tines in the art have various structures, such as being curved in the direction of rotation, but of uniform thickness (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,102,377 to Garrett, 3,066,470 to Johnston, and 3,148,494 to Scheidenhehn).
Another prior an tine has protrusions extending along the axis of rotation of motion for a crop pick-up. The tine is typically secured to a mounting bar in engaging relation with similar tines. On of the protrusions has at its end a tab. Protrusion 44 has at its first end a tab and at its other end a slot. When two tines are mounted, the tab of one will engage the slot of another line to provide security against lateral displacement of tines. Such a set up requires a significant amount of replacement time simply to replace one tine, especially if the broken tine is at the middle of a mounting bar.
Still another prior art tine is slightly curved along the direction of rotation, but is thickened along the axis of rotation. This prior art tine is additionally secured against lateral motion by interlocking with similar tines in a notch and tab configuration. The notch at the distal end of one of the protrusions along the axis of rotation of the prior art tine engages the tab of a similar tine, the tab being at the distal end of the other protrusion along the axis of rotation. This configuration locks the tines into a specific lateral position along the mounting bar. However, a problem exists when a tine of this nature needs to be replaced. The interlocking nature of the tines requires at least loosening all tines from the end of the mounting bar to the broken tine in order to release the broken tine from the interlocking nature of its mounting. Such a configuration results in a large expenditure of time simply to replace one broken tine. Further, this tine is also thickened along the axis of rotation but not in the direction of rotation.
Prior art tines for combine reels or raking pick-ups are often uniform in cross section. Such designs present numerous problems. If the cross-sectional area is small for efficient raking or picking, and also for ease of passage through crops and around obstacles, the strength is compromised by using light material. However, strong material, such as steel, is costly and heavy. In order to provide proper strength with lightweight material, cross-sectional areas have grown and changed.
Prior an tines have been strengthened in the lateral direction, that is, along the axis of rotation, but left unfortified in the direction of rotation. For a raking pick-up, this form of tine is unacceptable because it cannot adequately flex laterally around rocks and other obstacles.
As mentioned, Yannashev et al. discloses a tine with a complex cross section that is somewhat strengthened in the direction of rotation. However, Yannashev et al. explicitly includes a slot meant to increase flexibility in the direction of rotation. Yannashev et al., also by its design strengthens in the lateral direction, which as mentioned is undesirable in raking pick-ups.
Raking pick-up teeth should be accurate in pick-up for higher efficiency, flexible but sturdy in lateral motion, and strong in the direction of rotation of the raking pick-up. No prior art of which the inventor is aware has extra tapering thickness in the direction of rotation only.
To the best of inventor's knowledge, prior art tines are universally mounted individually. Mounting schemes and plans range from the simple to the complex. The breakage of more than one tine at a time requires disassembly and replacement tine in direct proportion to the number of tines broken. Further, some mounting schemes have tines interlocking with one another requiring removal of up to half of the tines on a mounting bar just to replace one broken tine. No prior art of which the inventor is aware integrally molds the tines with the mounting unit, as in the present invention.